The present disclosure relates generally to building management systems. The present disclosure relates more particularly to systems and methods for extending a wireless mesh network of multiple wireless BMS devices to allow for wireless communication from various BMS monitoring devices to one or more BMS controllers.
A building management system (BMS) is, in general, a system of devices configured to control, monitor, and manage equipment in or around a building or building area. A BMS can include a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a security system, a lighting system, a fire alerting system, another system that is capable of managing building functions or devices, or any combination thereof. BMS devices may be installed in any environment (e.g., an indoor area or an outdoor area) and the environment may include any number of buildings, spaces, zones, rooms, or areas. A BMS may include a variety of devices (e.g., HVAC devices, controllers, chillers, fans, sensors, etc.) configured to facilitate monitoring and controlling the building space. Throughout this disclosure, such devices are referred to as BMS devices or building equipment.
Currently, when designing and implementing a wireless mesh network, such as a Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4) mesh network, there are no tools or services to help an installer or technician to decide potential test routes. For example, the technician might inadequately test a mesh network in the field, as they must rely on their own discretion and judgement when testing or designing the mesh network. This can be particularly difficult in larger networks. Further, many building or systems include multiple broadcasts in the 2.4 GHz (as well as other) spectrum. For example, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, wireless AV devices, wireless headsets, and other devices all broadcast in the 2.4 GHz spectrum. While some tools, such as Chanalyzer or WiSpy are available, their costs can be prohibitive for use in all situations.
In many current systems, the technician may be required to draw out multiple radius circles on a scaled floor plan to determine the required location of wireless repeaters for use in the mesh network. For example, some systems may require wireless repeaters for every twenty-five foot radius for proper operation. However, the scaled diagrams used by the technician may not include other wireless devices, such as Wi-Fi access points (AP), which may cause adverse interference in the mesh network. Further, this visual analysis may not take into account certain barriers or other objects within the space which may result in a rapid decline in signal strength from a wireless repeater, thereby resulting in weak spots in the mesh network. Finally, there is generally no generated report which can list the quality and strengths of the signal across the network and the feasibility for a potential wireless installation on the site. Rather, the technician provides a qualitative analysis regarding the wireless health of the site.
Further, for an existing wireless mesh network it can be difficult to accurately diagnose issues within the mesh network using existing tools. For example, network data is needed at the time when one or more devices within the mesh network toggle between an online or offline condition, or show some sort of unexpected behavior. Further, as more wireless devices are implemented at the site, the air space, particularly in the 2.4 GHz spectrum, may become saturated, resulting in a loss in communication within the mesh network over a period of time. Often, a technician will need to be dispatched to the site to determine the issues, resulting in additional costs for the site. Further, the data may not be graphically represented, requiring a trained technician to accurately analyze the status of the mesh network. Furthermore, current tools do not allow for the network traffic on the wireless mesh network to be accurately monitored, adding additional complexity when trying to accurately diagnose issues within the wireless mesh network.